Campaigners and local councils say Britain should follow Paris' lead and ban the use of pesticides in cities.
The fact that the French capital remained clean despite the Olympics drew attention, and the Pesticides Action Network (PAN) said the same could be said for British towns and cities.
Activists say toxic chemicals should be removed from trails, parks and playgrounds to protect wildlife and human health.
More than 150 city council members have joined 15,000 citizens in the PAN campaign to ban the use of pesticides in urban areas.
Amy Helly, from the Pesticide Collaboration, said: “Most people are unaware of the harmful chemicals being sprayed where they, their children and their pets live, work and play. Some argue that without pesticides, Britain's towns and cities would be overrun with weeds in urban takeovers like Day of the Triffids.”
“But Paris has been pesticide-free for seven years, as have towns and cities in France, Denmark and Luxembourg. We saw the Olympics and the Paralympics and we saw how stunningly beautiful the streets and green spaces of Paris are. And to get there, Paris has not used a single drop of pesticides.”
Paris began reducing pesticide use in the 1990s, and since 2017 pesticides have been banned in all French towns and cities, and in 2019 in private gardens as well.
While there is no government-wide ban on pesticides in the UK, 100 councils have stopped or significantly reduced their use and 50 councils are currently pesticide-free.
Mr Helly added: “The new government should be committed to phasing out pesticides in urban areas across the UK, and supporting local authorities to move away from pesticides. Ministers have promised to improve people's health, clean our rivers and restore nature. Banning pesticide use in urban areas is a quick and relatively easy way to achieve these aims – and it would be a major win for the health of our children, pets and wildlife.”
“There are plenty of non-chemical alternatives to pesticides. Every day in Paris and in hundreds of towns and cities around the world, it is proven that going pesticide-free is entirely possible. It's a no-brainer.”